Vice President, Communications

Role Summary:

The Vice President, Communications, is the senior leader responsible for shaping and delivering the enterprise's communications vision. Reporting to the Chief People Officer and working in close collaboration with the Office of the CEO, this role drives executive-level messaging, enterprise events, reputation management, crisis communications, and public relations, ensuring alignment with Westfield's vision, strategy and organizational priorities.

The Vice President provides enterprise-wide oversight of communication communities of practice, ensuring shared standards, consistent execution, and accountability for how communications support and advance business priorities across the organization. Partnering closely with business and enterprise leaders, the Vice President develops outcome-based, data-informed communication strategies that drive awareness and action, inspiration and engagement, and elevate the organization's presence in the insurance and broader business marketplace. This leader ensures all communications are consistent, compliant, and aligned to an intentional cadence, while fostering collaboration among communication roles across the enterprise to amplify and reinforce enterprise key messages. The role also leads HR communications and other enabling function communications, ensuring understanding and awareness of their business priorities and alignment with enterprise messaging and priorities.

The Vice President leads a high-performing communications team, building capabilities, fostering innovation, and ensuring the function operates as a trusted partner in advancing business priorities. The role also sets the strategy for leveraging key enterprise assets, including the intranet and external social channels.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership & Executive Messaging

• Partner with the Office of the CEO and business/enterprise leaders to craft and deliver clear, compelling enterprise messages that align with company mission, vision, and strategic priorities.
• Develop and execute an annual enterprise communications plan with defined objectives, target audiences, key messages, and success measures.
• Shape and guide messaging for enterprise events, major initiatives, leadership updates, and high-profile announcements.

Enterprise Communication Alignment

• Ensure communication roles across the enterprise and enabling functions (including HR) are aligned in purpose, priorities, and execution, leveraging enterprise key messages to achieve consistency and impact.
• Promote and embed best practices, tools, and standards across functions to ensure communications are effective, relevant, and mutually reinforcing.

Reputation Management & Public Relations

• Lead strategies for enhancing and protecting the organization's reputation in the insurance and business marketplace.
• Oversee enterprise public relations strategies and activities, ensuring consistent narratives and proactive relationship building with media, industry associations, and other external stakeholders.

Crisis Communications

• Serve as the senior lead for crisis communications, including readiness planning, rapid response execution, and message discipline in high-pressure situations.
• Provide counsel to business and enterprise leaders on sensitive or high-profile matters to protect the organization's brand and relationships.

Governance, Compliance & Policy

• Establish and maintain enterprise communication policies that ensure legal, regulatory, and brand compliance.
• Implement governance frameworks for frequency, content standards, approval processes, and accountability across enterprise functions.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, and other enabling functions to ensure adherence to all applicable requirements.

Data-Driven Communications

• Leverage analytics, surveys, and performance metrics to evaluate communication effectiveness and audience engagement.
• Use insights to refine strategies, improve targeting, and drive continual improvement of communication impact.
• Provide quarterly reports to business and enterprise leaders on communications performance against objectives.

Enterprise Events

• Lead strategy, planning, and execution of enterprise events, ensuring alignment with strategic goals, cultural priorities, and audience needs.
• Oversee event messaging, creative direction, and integration into broader enterprise communication initiatives.

Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead, inspire, and develop a high-performing communications team with expertise in internal communications, public relations, media relations, and event execution.
• Foster a culture of innovation, measurement, collaboration, and continual learning within the team.
• Manage budgets, resources, and vendor relationships to ensure efficiency and maximum impact.

Emerging Channels & Best Practices

• Stay at the forefront of evolving communication channels, platforms, and techniques to enhance message reach and engagement.
• Introduce modern practices that keep enterprise communications relevant and effective for diverse audiences.

Qualifications:

• Experience: 15+ years in corporate communications, public relations, or a related field, with significant leadership experience.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in communications, public relations, journalism, or a related field.
• Skills & Expertise:
  • Proven success in designing and executing strategic communication plans, executive messaging, reputation management, public relations, and crisis communications.
  • Strong ability to align and lead communication roles across a complex enterprise.
  • Deep understanding of communication governance, compliance, and policy setting.
  • Demonstrated ability to use data and insights to inform decisions and improve outcomes.
  • Expertise in planning and executing enterprise events and initiatives.
  • Exceptional written, verbal, and presentation skills with presence and credibility at the most senior levels.

Location:

Hybrid defined as three or more days per week in the office.

Core Competencies:

• Strategic Mindset - Aligns communications strategy to enterprise goals and cultural values.
• Business Insight - Understands the industry and competitive landscape to shape relevant messaging.
• Results Orientation - Designs and measures communications against defined outcomes.
• Collaboration & Influence - Partners effectively with business and enterprise leaders across functions.
• Resilience & Judgment - Maintains composure and makes sound decisions under pressure.
• Innovation & Foresight - Anticipates changes in communication trends and audience expectations.
• Talent Leadership - Builds high-performing teams and fosters professional growth.
• Planning and Directing Work - Shapes and directs communications work across the communications team and broader enterprise to ensure alignment, consistency, and impact.

This job description describes the general nature and level of work performed in this role. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, skills, responsibilities, knowledge, etc. These may be subject to change and additional functions may be assigned as needed by management.